Sophia Henrietta Gibb

[HelenL]

Hello everyone

My ggg grandmother Sophia Henrietta Gibb was born about 1777.
Records on ScotlandsPeople show she married William Purvis on 27 April 1802 at Canongate, Edinburgh, witnesses John Christie Taboconist [sic] and John Gibb.
On 2 June 1811 she married David Law at Dalmeny - "David Law in the parish of Kirkliston & Mrs Sophia Henrietta Gibb Wid. of the late William Purvis"
She died 9 April 1824, aged 47, and buried at Kinross according to the MI recorded by Mitchell & Mitchell.
She had two sons - Robert Law, who lived at Omata, New Zealand and died there on 23 March 1865, and James Gibb Law (my gg grandfather), b 1816, who died in Bradford, England on 13 May 1883.
Luckily for me the Kinross MI also named Robert as being buried in New Plymouth, and Robert named his brother James Gibb Law of Bradford in his will.
David Law was buried at Kirliston with his parents, and may or may not have been the "David Law Innkeeper, Coach Contractor, Farmer and Cattle-Dealer, at Kinross Green" who was bankrupt in the mid 1820s.

Searching for Sophia Henrietta Gibb recently led me to a transcript of a Family Bible in the Perth Museum, Ontario, Canada.
Listed are 13 children whose names include James Law Gibb b 1819, Sophia Henrietta Gibb b 1823, and William Purvis Gibb b 1835.
In 1841, 8 of the children are in Stirling Road, Glasgow with James Gibb aged 75, Ind., and Margaret Gibb, 40.
Margaret and some of the children go to Hayfield in Derbyshire, whilst Alexander and Sophia Henrietta Gibb go to Canada.
When William Purvis Gibb married in 1880 he names his father as James Gibb.

I am thinking that with 3 of these children named with names so similar to my Gibb/Law family, I must explore this further and hope to find a connection.
Nothing comes up on a ScotlandsPeople search that relates to these 13 children, or a marriage for parents James and Margaret or even a death for James.
Any suggestions as to what I could try next?

Regards
Helen

[LesleyB]

Hi Helen

Nothing comes up on a ScotlandsPeople search that relates to these 13 children, or a marriage for parents James and Margaret or even a death for James.

I suppose it is possible that they may have been members of a church other than the established church and so may not turn up in the OPRs. Also, given that the bible is in Ontario, it may be that later events happened in Canada. James senior (aged 75 in 1841 census) may nmostly likely died prior to 1855, and so there may not be a record of his death.

I note that the mention online of the family bible was posted by someone who gives their contact details - would it be worth contacting them for any light they may be able to shed on the situation? Also, have you considered contacting the Perth museum directly? Although you have a typed transcript, nothing beats seeing the original or a digital copy of it, which it may be possible to request. Obviously there may be a small fee for this, but generally these kind of things are well worth it!
http://www.museumsontario.com/en/58//88?searchFor=1690
http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.c ... m1&lang=en

Research Services
Genealogical, historical

Archival Records • Genealogical Research

With the names you mention, it does look as if there is some connection there, but proving it may be the difficult bit!

Best wishes
Lesley

[LesleyB]

There is mention on the IGI of Sophia and James, but I expect you will have already seen these:

Sophia H. Gibb
Ontario Deaths,1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947
birth: 1823 Glasgow,​ Scotland
death: 30 Jun 1902 Ottawa,​ Carleton,​ Ontario

James Law Gibb
England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991
birth: 1819
burial: 31 Dec 1873 Hayfield,​ Derby,​ England
residence: North Bank,​ Hayfield

In 1841, 8 of the children are in Stirling Road, Glasgow with James Gibb aged 75, Ind., and Margaret Gibb, 40.

That is a huge age gap - could James in the 1841 maybe be Margaret's father in law, with Margaret's husband who was also a James(?), now deceased.

Just for info for others, here is the family group mentioned above in 1841, courtesy of the brilliant freecen at www.freecen.org.uk:

Stirling Road, Glasgow;
James GIBB aged 75 Independent not born in Lanarkshire
Margaret GIBB aged 40 - Margaret and all following children born Lanarkshire
John GIBB M aged 19 Clerk
Sophia GIBB aged 17
Clementina GIBB aged 15
Isabella GIBB aged 12
Jacobina GIBB aged 10
Jane GIBB aged 8
William GIBB aged 5
Susanna GIBB aged 3
next page: Ann MCKINNON F 25 Female Servant Outside Census County (1841)

[HelenL]

Hi Lesley

thanks so much for all your suggestions and info. I will certainly act on your suggestion of contacting people in Canada about the Bible.

I spent the rest of the day going back and looking online for Sophia Henrietta Gibb, William Purvis and David Law and came up with gold!
The trail led me from a marriage notice for "Mr David Law, vintner, to Mrs. Purves [sic], Newhall Inn, Queensferry." to a William Purves of Edinburgh whose brother in law was James Christie Tabocconist in Edinburgh, and William Purves' niece Jacobina Farmer was married to John Gibb, Vintner in Stirling.
John Gibb names his brother James Gibb Agent of Glasgow as his executor, and John's widow Jacobina's Probate documents clarifies it further with a comment that James Gibb had moved to Bradshaw.
There is a death for James Gibb in March 1850, Bolton district which neatly fits with widowed Margaret and two children at Harwood, Lancs in the 1851 census. Harwood and Bradshaw are next to each other. So no wonder there was no death or will in Glasgow.

So now I think I have two brothers for Sophia Henrietta Gibb, although it all still needs more research.

Thanks again for your help
Helen

[trish1]

Hello Helen

I spent some time yesterday trying to find more details of your Gibbs without much success. I was initially interested because the children's names in the diaries looked to be using given and surnames of family members and/or inlaws. One of my Scottish families who came to Australia did this (they had 13 children) and it was a great help in working out the extended family relationships. Given that it was a little later and the Australian death certificates gave parent names - it was relatively easy to trace them all.

I did some searching of the family who appeared to be the owners of the diary - Jane Anderson Gibb and Andrew Wilson Bell - but everything was just slightly too early. Church marriage details appear to be available in Canada from 1858 (some of which include parents) but Jane and Andrew married in 1857. There is a death record online for Jane but it doesn't mention parents. They named their first child Margaret Hope Bell - so Hope could be a family name.

The bible contains a wealth of information, some of which may not be available from other sources - it does seem to be a delightful gem of genealogy.

Trish

[HelenL]

Hello Trish

thanks for taking some time looking for the Gibb family. I will just keep researching the family, and that of James' brother John, and see what comes else up.

Have taken Lesley's advice and contacted the person who posted the transcript of the Gibb/Bell bible. He has a lot of information on line, including a Canadian connection to another Scottish branch of my family, and will get back to me tomorrow.

Exciting!

Regards
Helen

[Currie]

Hello Helen,

Here are a few scraps that may help if you haven’t already seen them.

Glasgow Herald, Friday, January 18, 1850
DEATHS.
At Harwood, near Bolton, on the 15th instant, James Gibb, Esq., aged 86 years, formerly merchant in Glasgow.

The Sheffield & Rotherham Independent, Saturday, January 03, 1874;
DEATHS.
GIBB.—Dec. 27, at Hayfield, Derbyshire, James Law Gibb, M.A., aged 54.

Liverpool Mercury, Friday, January 2, 1874
DEATHS.
GIBB.—Dec. 27, at Kinder Bank, Hayfield, Derbyshire, James Law Gibb, M.A.

Glasgow Herald, Wednesday, January 24, 1872
DEATHS.
At Kinder Bank, Hayfield, Derbyshire, on the 18th inst., aged 72, Margaret Hope, widow of James Gibb, merchant, Glasgow.

Manchester Times, Saturday, June 10, 1876
LAY.—At Kinder Bank, Hayfield, Derbyshire, on the 5th inst., Benjamin Lay, architect, of Welshpool, Montgomeryshire, in his 66th year.—friends will please accept this intimation.

Manchester Times, Saturday, March 4, 1882
DEATHS.
GIBB.—On the 27th ult., at Kinder Bank, Hayfield, Derbyshire, Susannah Brown, youngest daughter of the late James Gibb, merchant, Glasgow.—Friends will please accept this the only intimation.

The Derby Mercury, Wednesday, August 5, 1885
BIRTHS.
GIBB—On the 27th July, at Kinder Park, Hayfield, Derbyshire, the wife of William P. Gibb, of a daughter.

Manchester Times, Saturday, December 11, 1886
DEATHS.
GIBB.—Dec. 9, at Kinder Bank, Hayfield, William Purvis Gibb, in his 52nd year. The funeral will take place at the Hayfield Church burial ground to-day (Saturday), December 11, at 1 o’clock.—No cards.

In 1875 William Purvis Gibb suffered an assault while trying to protect some boys. He was described as a teacher and manager of the Kinder Printing Works. After his death in 1886 there was someone named Wilson at Kinder Bank, possibly a William Henry Wilson who had something to do with the printing works.

Alan

[HelenL]

Hi Alan
thanks for those newspaper references. No I had not seen them so appreciate you taking the time to search them out.
I see it gives Margaret's (James' widow) surname as Hope, in the Scottish style, which is great.
Regards
Helen